‘We were never consulted:’ TTC backs down on bus reroute in face of outcry from Etobicoke neighbourhood

Community concern over a TTC plan to reroute a busy bus line through a quiet Etobicoke neighbourhood has prompted the transit agency to change course.

Residents of Beaver Bend Crescent were surprised to discover orange hoarding installed along their street in late May – preparation, they later learned, for the construction of four new bus stops on a street that had never been a transit route.

“We were never consulted as a community,” said resident Erick Bauer. “The only way that we knew about this, is some of our residents woke up in the morning and saw fencing around their property.”

Their councillor, Stephen Holyday, was later told that the southbound 111 East Mall bus route would be permanently detoured through Beaver Bend because three bus stops along the existing route no longer met accessibility standards.

“We’re concerned about hazards to pedestrians, particularly children,” Alexander Sinenko, a local parent, told CTV Toronto.

“It will create complete chaos at pick-up and drop-off,” said Oksana Cherchik, whose three children go to the school at the foot of the street.

“The nuances of our neighbourhood really don’t seem like they’ve been taken into consideration for such a major transit change,” echoed resident Connie Smith.

Holyday questioned why the buses would be redirected through the residential street – which would require new bus pads – in lieu of bringing the existing East Mall stops up to code.

“I think that they’ve chosen the shortest path to their solution, and sometimes the shortest path isn’t the best path,” he said.

In a letter to his colleagues, Holyday called on City Council to direct the TTC to pause the plan – backed by a petition of more than 800 residents.

“This bus route has served the community for nearly 45 years with few complaints,” he wrote.

“Neither the local community or the school have been consulted or even received general communications from the TTC about the change.”

The TTC told CTV Toronto Tuesday that it would pump the brakes on the plan – which had been approved by the board in 2024.

“Safe access to our service for everyone is a priority for the TTC,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“As a result, we will be pausing this project pending further consultation and coordination with the City of Toronto and the community.”

Many community members are now hopeful the city will bring the East Mall bus stops up to accessibility standards – and keep the buses running there.

“We want to make our local bus route more accessible and safer for everyone,” said resident Marcio Borges.

“We just want that to be done with a solution that solves the current issues that we have but doesn’t add new issues.”